Urban Alleyways

Exploring the cities alleyways with a camera, especially as a photographer is a reminder of the beauty that exists in the unnoticed and the overlooked. Its an invitation to slow down , embrace the quite surroundings full of hidden gems.

The alleyways them selfs rife with character and history. Full of textured brick walls, graffiti, and fire escapes over grown with vines. These are the hidden lanes where few venture, time passes slower allowing for unhurried compositions and a deeper connection to the subject matter. With my camera in hand I can focus on the small details that tell stories. a child’s bicycle, a ball left from the previous day or a chair leaning against a fence.

The Gardens have a character of their own. Laundry hanging out to dry, a barbecue, a table still cluttered with last nights beer bottles and potted plants all weave a tale of the residents that’s houses populate the lane. It’s an intimate view into the lives of the cities dwellers. One that is ripe to capture and preserve.

Urban Landscapes

The Urban landscape surrounds us as city dwellers. The beauty sometimes escapes us as we go about our daily routine and yet its there lurking around every corner. The intertwining elements that make up the urban sprawl that is our home is a constantly evolving scene with new building replacing the old, Nature taking over neglected neighborhoods. The parks, streets, bike paths and alleyways providing a winding three dimension connection linking them all.

Lachine Canal

How weather can transform

i was struck this week by how much weather can transform a location into something completely different. I had my camera with me in the car and decided to revisit a location that i have been to several times before. Often its been on a sunny summers day. Today was different. It was overcast and cool. The light was that typical blue end of fall light. It was surreal. I have stood in the same location many times before but some how today it was completely new, transformed, somehow altered. The lighthouse that stands proudly at the end of the pier was lit beautifully. The place would have been desolate if not for a few fisherman lining the pier. The water lay perfectly flat there was not a hint of a breeze. It was perfect and eerily new. The roll of Tri-X in my camera didn’t last 20 minutes.

Double Exposure

I have always admired a well done double exposure but never tried it out for myself. I recently discovered that my Bronica camera had a double exposure lever or switch . Here are the results of my first 2 double exposure experiments. In both cases I underexposed the first exposure by 2 stops and took the second exposure normally.

Double or multiple exposure photography possibilities seems endless (Another rabbit hole). Everyday every were I go new double exposure ideas ideas present them selves. There is something here that needs to be explored and enjoyed.. Its a lot of fun, It can rekindle your creativity and the results can be unpredictable. Maybe the last shot of every roll…..

CineStill Double X and DF96 Monobath

Mixed up my first Litre of Cine Still’s DF96 Mono bath last night. Having shot my two rolls of Double X at ISO 800 I mixed up the chemicals using water heated to 90 degrees F. This is the approximate temperature recommended by Cine Still for development at ISO 800. It took less than five minutes to mix and it was ready to use. Pouring the developer into the tank and using constant yet gentle agitation over the four minute time recommended for the first roll in freshly mixed developer. After which a five minute wash completes the process making sure to replace the water in the tank at least five times while washing. And voila the negative’s density looked perfect to my eye and very contrasty (not surprising having shot at ISO 800). Lets see how they scan this weekend.

Back to film

My return to film was quite accidental and in hindsight perfectly timed. I had been shooting digital for over 15 years and why not it was better than film, cleaner and sharper. In the beginning it was great. I was riding the digital wave. Every week it seemed a new a more magical camera would come out. Some even had film simulation modes. I worked hard at being the best digital photographer I could be. I studied all the software available. Backed up my photos to multiple hard drives. Spent hours scrolling threw the thousands of images i would seem to shoot every time I went out with my camera. Hours in front of the computer. It was so much fun or was it? It started to wear me down. I made a decision to take a break from photography. Maybe that would re inspire me. So I stopped shooting, I stopped editing, I stopped scrolling and flagging and rating. I just stopped.

Fast forward several month I’m cleaning out an old closet and happen across my old Nikon sitting on a shelf. I took it down, cleaned it off. I was hesitant at first. Were could I find film. I went on line. researched. to my surprise film was alive and well. I bought a few roles and never looked back. Now my digital camera sits on a self some were waiting to be found.